The Beasts of Zero
by VulpineSnow
Summary: Another series of oneshots with the 'different familiar' theory behind them. This time, no man shall greeting Louise the Zero... only the beasts.
1. Furious Roar

The Beasts of Zero

_**Disclaimer:**_ Neither Zero no Tsukaima nor the franchises used for these one-shots belong to me, VulpineSnow.

* * *

**Furious Roar**

* * *

Battered and bloody, he stared up at his enemy, the one who would annihilate their world, with nothing to stop him. "I made… I made a promise…"

As he took labored breathes, memories of his time in the other world flashed before his mind's eye.

Lazdaa Fortress…

Being saved by his mentioned friend and accepted as a person immediately…

Their battles with the Order of the One True Way…

Seeing the Company's home base…

Helping the Porpos Kin…

Heading back home through the Gateway after getting through Lazdaa…

… And… it looked like he would never be able to go back…

But then again… it was as his friend had said… You'll never know until you try! "I said that we would meet again… after this fight!"

Keeping that in his mind, he pulled back his arm, curling his hand into a fist, and then leapt for the figure shrouded in brilliant and terrible golden light.

As an ornate, spinning scepter rushed to meet him, the warrior let out one last battle cry, roaring in righteous fury.

The holy glow surrounded everything in white… concealing the green circle that put itself between the warrior and the mage…

* * *

Louise stared, dumbfounded at the results of her spell… There were no explosions, loathe as she was to admit being accustomed to them. For that, she was relieved. But… a pillar of golden light had formed instead, baffling her as it extended to the heavens.

But where was her familiar?

As if to answer, something formed in the light, as if it had come through a door… before falling into the grass, face-down.

Louise couldn't believe her eyes, and from the many gasps she heard, she doubted anyone else could, either.

A cat… a big, big cat… had materialized. His –for only a male could have such sculpted muscles—body was structured like a human, aside from the legs, which were shaped like the hindquarters of a feline, and the entire head. Short fur, like creamed coffee in tone aside from the darker top of the head and the white spots on his eyelids and just above his nose, covered him from head to toe. And those garbs… a blue shirt with no front, gauntlets and a set of blue and white pants that looked so awkward on his legs, held up by a red and white sash.

"Ahem… Miss Valliere, please complete the ritual."

The pink-haired girl blinked, before turning to look at the class's instructor. "Um… right…" But… everyone else had summoned their familiars, and they had been conscious… Did she do this?

Slowly, the girl kneeled, trying to lift the large feline's head. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; grant your blessings upon this humble being, and make him my familiar."

Then, after tapping the top of his head with her wand, she kissed it.

Slowly, the runes that marked him as her familiar engraved themselves in flesh and fur, the only sign of their existence being the hisses and steam that rose from beneath the gauntlet covering his right hand.

"Now, Miss Valliere, perhaps it would be prudent to see that your familiar is taken to the healers. One of your classmates may help you."

It was only after Mr. Colbert's words that Louise realized a pool of blood had formed under her familiar.

* * *

Something was wrong.

The warrior slowly opened his eyes, each one yellow like a lemon, staring up at the ceiling. Was he in the Company's base?

… No… the smells were completely different.

Slowly, he sat up, looking over himself. What… what was this? He… he recalled being so battered… Why did he feel and look as good as new?

"Good. You're awake."

The feline looked up toward the source of the young, stern voice. … A girl?

"Now that you're up, we can get down to business."

"… Business?"

"Yes, busi…ness…" He watched her trail off, before her eyes went wide and then she pointed at him, looking somewhere between frantic and excited. "You can talk!"

"The same as you."

The girl blinked. "Oh… well, of course! Only my familiar can be superior!" she responded in a haughty tone.

The muscular creature could practically smell her anxiety. "Where am I? Who brought me here?"

The girl stared at him, before speaking. "You are at the Tristain Academy. I, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, summoned you to be my familiar."

The feline narrowed his eyes as his ears stood erect. "A familiar…" His tone made it sound like he was thinking on it.

"A mage's servant," the pink-haired girl stated. "I summoned you and completed the contract, therefore you must serve me."

"… I guess I owe you, since you saved my existence," the warrior admitted, looking away. Even as he spoke to this girl, he still couldn't help being worried. The chance that all of his friends had been erased, just as he had almost been, was haunting.

"What do you mean 'saved your existence'?" Louise demanded. "What happened to you to be so banged up when I summoned you?"

"The One King."

He saw the pink-haired girl blink. "One King? You tried to defy royalty? My familiar is a criminal!"

"The One King is not royalty!" the warrior roared out, silencing the girl. "The One King is an entity worshipped by the Order of the One True Way! He annihilated my home and my tribe, if not my entire world!"

Louise gulped at seeing her familiar become so enraged. Just what had happened to this creature?

The warrior took a breath, looking away. "I am sorry. I did not mean to lose my temper, but you must understand. The One King… is a sensitive subject. He is not royalty. He is a monster bent on annihilating worlds until there is only one world left…"

"… What do I call you, familiar?" Louise asked, trying to move on from that bit of news. She wanted to change the subject… and some part of her wanted to strike this feline with that horse whip her eldest sister bequeathed to her. Her familiar's large size, however, restrained that notion. He may have been her familiar, but he looked like he could break her spine without even trying. And being sentient enough to lash out, he still had free will.

Golden eyes with elliptic pupils stared into pink orbs.

"Name's Cougar," he stood up as he said this… and then he smiled. "I'm one of King Diulf's personal guards in the Tribe of the Furious Roar."

"…" The pink-haired girl blinked, staring at her apparent familiar with widening. She had not heard of this tribe he spoke of, but then again, maybe he was part of some secret civilization. If that was true… she had taken a member of some ruler's personal guard!

"Louise?"

"MY FAMILIAR _SERVES_ A KING?"

* * *

"I don't mean to be rude, but I think this is yours," the hulking feline stated as he set a glass bottle filled with a strong-smelling liquid on the table for the two blondes. "Your scents are on it, so I only assumed." He looked to boy, smiling slightly. "I think you dropped this while talking to that girl with the brown cloak."

Both blondes stared at Cougar, and then at the bottle. The boy, in particular, looked like he was about to panic. "That isn't mine!" he denied, shaking his head. "I've never seen that bottle before! You must have me confused with someone else!"

"Oh." Cougar blinked, tilting his head to one side. "You're sure? I could have sworn it had your scent." He shook his head, reaching for the bottle. "Sorry for the confusion."

"Wait," the other blonde stated, snatching the bottle to examine it. "This is my perfume." She gave the boy across from her a critical eye. "Guiche, does this have anything to do with that rumor of you dating a first year?"

"What? That is nonsense! There could not exist any-

"There could not exist any 'deceitfulness to my feelings toward you'?" Cougar interrupted. "I heard you say that to another girl… Are men in this world allowed to take more than one mate? It sounds like some form of courtship."

The two blondes became red-faced at the term 'mate', though the girl with curls resumed her glare at the one called Guiche.

"Guiche!" another girl's voice called out, bringing attention to her as she ran for the table. It was the girl Guiche had spoken to the previous night. "Is… is what this familiar suggesting true?"

* * *

Louise was absolutely mortified! It was bad enough with just one Kirche, but now there were two!

The identical redheads stared at each other with narrowed eyes, neither willing to back down. Poised to strike between them were their identical salamanders.

Then Cougar spoke, smiling. "You're from another world, aren't you?" He was staring at the Kirche whom had a crescent moon emblem on her broach instead of the star.

The girl he had asked blinked and turned her attention to the familiar. Louise watched, becoming increasingly furious as this other Zerbst scanned her familiar like a piece of meat.

As such, she was struck dumb when the taller girl's eyes went wide and she backed away from Cougar, an intense blush on her face. "I… I… I'm sorry!" she quickly herself to hands and knees, bowing as she stunned all present, her counterpart included. "Forgive me, sir, I was just curious about that pillar of light Louise-sama had made!"

The pink-haired girl's jaw hung open, but it was the enraged cry of _their_ Kirche that summed it all up quite well.

"LOUISE-SAMA?"

* * *

_**Next Ritual:**_ Graceful Tempting Fallen Angel

* * *

Well, after reading "Familiars of Zero" by Corvus no Genmu, this just would not go away. I had asked the author in a review to include a Suikoden character, but afterwards, I had a thought. Why should I ask something of another author if I can try doing it myself, right? Hardly original, but I decided to give it a shot.

I mainly chose Cougar out of liking for the character, but the universe of _Suikoden Tierkreis_, the game he hails from, is a really interesting world, or rather, collection of worlds. In the actual game, Cougar died fighting against the One King, whom sought to unite the worlds into one.

Cougar himself is a very powerful fighter who uses his paws and supreme strength to crush his foes. As such, he is worthy of the position of Gandalfr... good luck finding a weapon sturdy enough to not break from his use of them, aside from Delfingr. Those statues Guiche would summon, assuming he does not consider it degrading "to fight an animal", would not last the first hits.

However, the summoning ritual, bringing one of the Stars of Destiny –let us assume Cougar is a Tenkai Star, due to the 'leaders' usually being the last to fall before the One King—will have consequences on Louise's world. Gateways, Renegades, monsters from other worlds only killable by beings from other worlds, and even other-world versions of characters would exist. Kirche's other self might be a well-mannered shy girl instead of the girl with so many boyfriends. Other Tabitha could potentially be just the same as this world's Tabitha, aside from either a better or worse home life. Etc. Other-Tiffania could be just as cruel as the elves of Familiar of Zero are said to be.

Speaking of that, one can only wonder how it would work with him being 'dragged' with Louise back home by Eleanor-onee-sama…

I don't think I pegged down Cougar's personality well, and it has been a while since I've played this game, but I still gave it a shot. Know that a duel between him and Guiche would not be likely to happen, due to Cougar technically NOT being a commoner. But then again, he MIGHT fight because Cougar is sentient, not a wild beast.

Another thing for this, I must warn, is that my one-shots are basically plot bunnies, free to take up. So… feel free to take these up. My warning with Cougar, though, is that the interactions would likely not be the same with Cougar as they were with Saito. Also, I can't see Kirche mocking Louise for summoning such a big guy.

Please, read, review, and critique instead of just typing "I like this a lot" and so forth. Tell why you like or dislike these ideas, please. Just... no flames or "This is HIDEOUS, go and die in a ditch" words, okay? Please?


	2. Graceful Tempting Fallen Angel

The Beasts of Zero

_**Disclaimer:**_ Neither Zero no Tsukaima nor the franchises used for these one-shots belong to me, VulpineSnow.

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Graceful Tempting Fallen Angel

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"_I beg of you…_ _My slave who lives somewhere in the universe_," the pink-haired second year student called out as she raised her wand to the heavens. This drew looks of bewilderment from her classmates, all of whom were already spread far apart from her in case of an explosion… again.

"What's that chant?" Montmorency, the blonde girl whom held a small orange frog in her hands, asked herself out loud.

Her blonde boyfriend, Guiche the Bronze, approached Montomercy's left side, brandishing his rose with an arrogant, whimsical smile. "Well, it is unique."

"_Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!_"

Even the silent and uninterested blue-haired girl, Tabitha, looked up from her book to watch the results.

"_I desire and here I plead from my heart!"_

Somewhere across the universe's great expanse, something stirred and awakened from a black abyss.

"_Answer to my guidance!_" Louise finished her chant, waved her wand, and pointed it down to the ground.

_**BOOM!**_

An earth-shattering explosion shook the courtyard, covering the entire grassy area and the second year student body with a thick cloud of putrid black smoke.

Coughing was all around Louise.

"I knew this was going to happen!" one student cried out.

Guiche approached his girlfriend, whom still kept a safe grasp on her own familiar. "Montmerency, are you alright?" He then noticed she was staring off at something, her eyes wide. "What is wrong?"

The water mage simply lifted her hand and pointed.

"Huh?" Guiche looked, and promptly gasped.

There, with her back to them, stood Louise… and what must have been her familiar. But… what exactly was it?

Stones… massive oval-shaped stones with glowing green runes floated in a flower pattern in front of the pink-haired girl. Each one was connected to the other with strips of tattered cloth wrapping around them.

"What is that?"

"Some form of golem?"

"It doesn't even look complete!"

"Hahaha~! This makes everything you said worth it, Louise the Zero!" That last one had been Kirche.

Even Louise herself had to agree. This… this enchanted pile of rocks… was pathetic.

_Ba-bump._

Wait…

_Ba-bump._

_Ba-bump._

A pulse?

Louise's eyes scanned for the possible source, and only after a few seconds, her eyes went wide in realization. Those pink orbs focused on her so-called familiar as a vivid violet glow began to emanate from it.

Everything in the courtyard was silent… at least until _it_ happened.

_**DONG!**_

_**DONG!**_

_**DONG!**_

A sound like a tuning fork… and very, very loud tuning fork, echoed throughout the school. Every time the noise was about to fade, the sound struck again.

Louise watched as she covered her ears, gulping as she watched the glowing stones.

Seven tendrils of light, one for each color of a rainbow, shot out from the very top of the floating mass, a dome shape encompassing both it and Louise as each tendrils stabbed into the grassy ground.

Louise watched the air and earth ripple, like many waves passing through water and crashing into each other. She felt something… wrong… This thing… was leeching from the world, no, the very fabric of existence. The grass browned as life was drained from it, shriveling until nothing was left but dust. The soft soil under the pink-haired girl's feet began to harden with decay.

The sound of a single drop of water echoed… then the stone structure began to change.

As all noise faded, as those seven tendrils retreated back into the structure, something like the petals of a massive flower rose from her familiar's underside, enveloping it in a strange, spherical cocoon.

A pale flesh-colored cocoon with pale lavender eyes on its surface, that is.

Silence engulfed the clearing, for the moment.

"What the hell did you summon, Vallière!" Kirche called out the pink-haired girl.

"I… I…" Louise was too shocked to give a proper answer, staring into those massive pale eyes as they in turn stared back at her.

"Um…" Colbert, their balding instructor, gave a non-discrete cough. "Miss Valliere, perhaps you should complete the ceremony?"

"But… but Mr. Colbert, I don't even know what this is!"

"_So impatient_," the sudden, unfamiliar, and melodious voice of a woman rang out. Wait! Had that come from the sphere! "_Just relax. I could not properly manifest without draining a bit of magic from the world._"

Properly manifest? That meant… Maybe she wasn't a failure after all! Louise beamed at such thoughts just as the sphere opened up like a blooming flower… revealing a pale-skinned, pink-haired temptress, massive in size.

The hips, if they could be called that, ended at the eye-decorated petals, as if she was wearing a dress. From the petals, Louise's new familiar rose to "stand" at thrice the height of the tallest man, fur, all pink, stretching up to cover her waist and below, leaving her navel exposed. Her arms, tipped with claws, were also covered in a light down of fur, black until it reached the midpoint between elbows and shoulders. Her hair was pink with black tips and straight, most of the locks of hair standing on end while the rest fell neatly to her shoulders.

Lastly, her… generous bust… was covered in some strange armor vaguely resembling bleached bone in composition, though that did nothing to conceal that, for her size, the familiar was on par with that Zerbst witch. Through her sternum, the only blemishing mark on her body seemed to be a crack, like on a porcelain doll.

Most of the teenage males in the courtyard fainted, blood gushing from their noses at the sight of this… this… _woman_.

Montmorency shot a glare down at Guiche's blood-stained face, her fists clenching as she stood up. "Guiche… You and I will have a long, long talk…"

Kirche, on the other hand, glared at the fruits of Louise's chant, more than slightly jealous, as she crossed her arms under her large bust. Not even _she_ could cause such a reaction from males without trying.

Louise gulped, staring at her large familiar as it granted her a sultry and amused smile, staring at her with those glowing red eyes.

"Well?" the large woman spoke again, never losing her composure. "You have some ritual to complete, do you not?"

Louise's gaze hardened. This… this creature… her familiar… dared to mock her?

"How dare you!" Louise raised her wand, ready to cast the explosion or silence this disgracing creature.

"Miss Vallière, the ritual," Colbert reminded her, stopping the spell before it could began. Still… even he, their wise instructor, was nervous. This being had immense power… power that drew others like moths to bright flames. _It… she… does not seem to be aligned with Fire, Water, Wind, or Earth… Could it be the legendary fifth element, the Void? _"After the ritual is completed, we will escort the second year boys to receive medical assistance."

"…" With a huff, Louise lowered her wand. "… Bow, familiar…" she commanded, inwardly hoping this thing would comply. Her eyes went wide as her fellow pink-haired female, large as she was, did as she had bid. "Um… r-right…" With a gulp, Louise put her wand to the lips of her large familiar. ""My… my name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; grant your blessings upon this humble being, and make… her… my familiar." The young noble removed her wand upon completing the chant, and, hesitant and slow, she pressed their lips together.

The tall creature's head retreated in surprise, glowing red eyes blinking in what seemed to be shock. Clearly, while it had meant to humor Louise, it had not meant for that to happen. The pink-haired noble just had to smirk.

Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière – 1

Unnamed and disrespectful familiar – 0

HA!

Yet… victory seemed… bitter. Something… felt wrong.

Steam rose from the skin on the back of the new familiar's left hand, drawing her attention to examine the appendage. Suddenly, Louise's familiar grabbed the appendage in visible pain, gritting her teeth just before a cat's pained yowl exited her mouth, the glowing, white hot runes carving into the back of that hand.

The sound caught Louise off guard, and she could only watch as the pink woman _imploded_ in a flash of bright white light.

* * *

"It is such a shame that being bound to Vallière has trapped you in such a beastly form and rendered you unable to speak, and at another time, perhaps I would be kind," Guiche told the short feline. "But, while I would hate to harm a lady, your actions have caused Katie and Montmorency great pain to their hearts."

The cat-like creature, equal in height to Louise, stared at Guiche flatly, red eyes surrounded by lavender and white fur which, aside from the star around the left eye, was divided down the center of her body. The outfit she wore was, basically, commoner's clothing, aside from the pointed hat and strange pointed shoes.

_Seduce with a sweet trap._

She had recognized the signs of seduction and manipulation. Once upon a time, it had been her specialty. It would be so simple, to drop a few lightning bolts, to raise a torrent of water from beneath his feet, to send down a few balls of fire, or to impale him with a spike of rock from the earth itself. It would teach a lesson of how she felt about _that_!

However… this was some "duel" and lethal force would bring down the hammer on both her head and the head of Louise. Guiche believed the familiar incapable of magic because she had not bothered to waste her energy, blaming her new master for her "beastly form" and lack of speech. This hormonal boy wanted an easy victory to stroke his ego and recover his wounded pride for being exposed in his two-timing ways.

Oh, she was going to have fun with this.

With a smile, the cat made a gesture of clasping something and swinging it around, drawing some looks of confusion from the surrounding student body whom had gathered to watch the beat down.

Guiche blinked, but he seemed to understand the hint. "A sword?" he asked. "I suppose that would be fine. It wouldn't be a proper duel if you fought my Bronze Valkyrie unarmed." With a wave his rose-adorned wand, two petals fell to the grass. Where one landed, a simple, small, and seemingly functional bronze sword formed into existence, just in front of the feline. Just in front of Guiche, a golem emerged that, true to what Guiche had said, resembled the image of a Valkyrie.

Ah, so he was going to summon something instead of properly fighting her. Oh well. It would be more humiliation for him.

"Stop!" Louise rushed and pushed through the crowd, trying to get to the conflict before it truly started. "Guiche, cut it out already!" She grabbed the blonde's arm. "Duels are forbidden on the grounds."

With a smile, the blonde gently withdrew his arm from her grasp. "Only a duel between nobles is forbidden, Louise," he corrected her.

"Well, you're still dueling my familiar!" Louise shot back.

Neither noticed the feline pick up the blade… at least, not until a violet glow surrounded the area.

"… Look, let's just get this farce over with."

That familiar voice made everyone blink in shock as the light faded… revealing, once again, Louise's familiar standing with a different shape. It was a large humanoid cat with long rabbit-like ears and a long tail. She is covered in bushy purple fur –white from her forehead to around her mouth and going further down—and green armor, all showing off a mature feminine body. Mischievous yellow eyes, these actually having pupils, stared at a stunned Guiche and Louise as their owner grinned. "Come on. Don't look so surprised. You'll make me blush." Those eyes took on a slightly serious edge as the familiar looked to her pink-haired master. "Stand back, Louise."

Slowly, not sure what to think at this point, Louise complied, backing away into the crowd.

Guiche gave the feline familiar a look of scrutiny. "So you change shape," he muttered. "No matter!" He waved his wand, and then the Valkyrie charged forward, raising its armored bronze fist to strike.

Let's see… the boy had bragged about being a mage with focus over element of Earth… Then this would work.

The sword Guiche had granted the familiar glowed red, as did the runes on the back of her left hand. The light breeze blowing through the Vestral Court began to pick up into a harsh and hot swirling gale, with the vivid violet feline in the eye of it all.

She raised the blade, and then she twirled. "_Gi Vak __Knacken_!" The flat of the blade collided with the Bronze Valkyrie's fist… and the space between feline and golem exploded with flames.

In the silence, as black smoke filled the large space among the students, someone voiced what everyone may have been thinking. "Was that a fire spell?"

Before any other words could be said, there was a scream from within the smoke. Guiche's scream.

One of the students cast a quick gust, blowing away the black smoke to reveal the present state of the duel.

Guiche was pinned on his back, the armed familiar's foot pressed to his sternum and the tip of the blade poised to his neck.

"I… I…" Guiche gulped, looking up into those yellow eyes. "I yield!"

The purple cat smiled as she lifted her foot from the blonde's chest, and then she stabbed the blade into the ground. Immediately as she released the hilt, her body glowed and shrunk, resuming the earlier shape.

She turned to look at her master with those pupiless red eyes, and then, gaining many gasps, rose into the air, floating toward Louise with a smile. As a paw-padded hand reached, her mouth moved as if she was speaking.

But no sound came out, even as she escorted Louise away from the crowd. However, that did not allow them to miss the shouts of surprise.

"_VALLIERE SUMMONED A MAGE!"_

* * *

"Come on!" Louise demanded. "You already float in the air, and you can use magic! Surely it would not bother you to represent your master in a little talent competition! The Exhibition of Familiars is nearly sacred to the country!"

Scarlet orbs lacking pupils practically danced with amusement at the command, but their possessor shook her dual-colored purple and white head. Her cat-like mouth moved with a smile, but no words came out.

At least, none but the words only Louise the Zero could hear.

"What do you mean I should just make due? You're my familiar! You're supposed to do as your master commands!" Louise narrowed her eyes. "And I _command_ you to represent me at the exhibition!"

Again, there was a silent, though talkative response.

"I am not acting like an immature child!" Louise responded as she stomped the ground.

Her familiar's left eye, that one encircled by that star, winked as her lips moved.

"Don't tell me I need to relax and don't call me 'Little Louise'!"

Some part of Louise wished she still had that riding crop… but of course, her familiar couldn't just obey her and snatched it away from her many nights ago, tossing it out the window. That had been a gift from big sister Eléonore, too.

Those eyes pierced her with a warm stare, and ever so slowly, the feline grasped the small sword across her back, triggering her transformation, but doing nothing to remove that look aside from changing the hue and granting visible pupils.

"Listen well, Louise," she addressed the girl casually, smiling smugly "By this contract, I am a familiar, not a pet or Grunty to perform at your leisure."

What was a Grunty?

"I allowed myself to be bonded to you. In truth, you have very little power over me. Should I be willing to break these unique runes, you will not stop me."

"How dare-!" Louise started, only for a leather-clad finger to be pressed to her lips.

"Louise, I had a previous master before I heard your call," she announced. "She was far more powerful than any human could hope to be. I would think you would put more faith in me than to just be some trick pony." She paused. "You summoned me into this world, but you don't quite trust me, your familiar." Her smile never left her face. "The world does not simply consist of 'ones' and 'zeros'. It allows the existence of areas between Yes and No. Humans are interesting, aren't they?"

Louise scowled. "Don't change the subject!"

"I am not, Louise," the tall cat responded. "I am suggesting… a 'compromise'. As a familiar, I made an oath, but quite frankly, you treat me less like a companion and more like a slave or pet." Even as the feline spoke, Louise could see that she was remembering something. "… I will give a proper oath, then, if you give me yours."

"Proper oath? I summoned you for the ceremony! You are MY servant."

"Oh, hush," the familiar responded, patting Louise's head and paying her words no mind. "How's this for an oath, something that, unlike my previous master, we will honor to last breaths. 'I need you as much as you need me. As long as we walk together, I will protect you'. It's simple, right?"

"…" Louise huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine."

"Say it."

"… I need you as much as you need me," Louise stated, swallowing her pride as she looked away from her familiar. "As long as we walk together, I will protect you."

"And now we embrace!" the violet feline let out in a joking tone, hugging Louise close with one arm.

* * *

_**Next Ritual:**_ Dragon of Light

* * *

For a while, I have wanted to do this one. Macha the Temptress, Mia the Cat AI, the Sixth Phase of Morganna's Cursed Wave, she who seduces with a sweet trap.

This. Was. Difficult. I was trying to blend Macha's own three phases together, obviously omitting the G.U. incarnation, Avatar Macha. Macha the Cat AI is described as playful and curious. Mia, as the Player Character, is blunt, sometimes straightforward and sometimes enigmatic, speaking in riddles. Macha as the Sixth Phase is ambiguous, but if her attack capabilities in the game are any indication, seduction is definitely her specialty. Alas, I may have overdone the playfulness of the original Macha. Flanderization, and all that.

Like Cougar before her, I gave Macha the runes of Gandalfr. As shown, she has three distinct shapes. The true, initial shape was her showing off, only for the runes to condense her form to be the most manageable foreseen, the red-eyed cat that had once watched over Tsukasa. Mia, the shape, at least, manifests when the power of the Gandalfr runes is activated, along with her Blademaster techniques.

In order for Macha to even fit into the world of Zero no Tsukaima, it was a necessity to give her some limits, at least, and thus, let her power grow to her concept of normal as the story continues.

Now, some may wonder why I did not use Skeith, the Shadow of Death and First Phase of the Cursed Wave. It is quite simple. Macha is the more benevolent of the two, and has been present from beginning to end in terms of the entire franchise, at least, up until her role as Avatar Macha in G.U. To put in Skeith, as seen from when he Data Drained Orca, Seig, and Aura in the first generation and then went on a rampage against Kuhn and Magus in G.U, is asking for Louise's world to be annihilated. As Macha implies, in their world, the Phases are practically forces of nature, and Louise is lucky she summoned forth a compliant one. Let's face facts, folks. Saying Skeith is not nice is being too kind to him. It's like having Louise summon Kefka of Final Fantasy or a Heartless from Kingdom Hearts. Bad things would happen to the world as a whole.

As with the previous chapter, please read, review, and critique. Happy days to you.


	3. Dragon of Light

The Beasts of Zero

_**Disclaimer:**_ Neither Zero no Tsukaima nor the franchises used for these one-shots belong to me, VulpineSnow.

* * *

**Dragon of Light**

* * *

"_I beg of you…_ _My slave who lives somewhere in the universe_," the pink-haired second year student called out as she raised her wand to the heavens. This drew looks of bewilderment from her classmates, all of whom were already spread far apart from her in case of an explosion… again.

"What's that chant?" Montmorency, the blonde girl whom held a small orange frog in her hands, asked herself out loud.

Her blonde boyfriend, Guiche the Bronze, approached Montomercy's left side, brandishing his rose with an arrogant, whimsical smile. "Well, it is unique."

"_Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!_"

Even the silent and uninterested blue-haired girl, Tabitha, looked up from her book to watch the results.

"_I desire and here I plead from my heart!"_

Somewhere across the universe's great expanse, something stirred and awakened from a black abyss.

"_Answer to my guidance!_" Louise finished her chant, waved her wand, and pointed it down to the ground.

_**BOOM!**_

An earth-shattering explosion shook the courtyard, covering the entire grassy area and the second year student body with a thick cloud of putrid black smoke.

Coughing was all around Louise.

"I knew this was going to happen!" one student cried out.

Guiche approached his girlfriend, whom still kept a safe grasp on her own familiar. "Montmorency, are you alright?" He then noticed she was staring off at something, her eyes wide. "What is wrong?"

The water mage simply lifted her hand and pointed.

"Huh?" Guiche looked, and promptly gasped.

At Louise's feet was what appeared to be a human, clad in a white tunic, a red traveler's cloak, and boots of heavy leather. Guiche could not see the man's face from his vantage point.

Louise, on the other hand, had the best view.

It was indeed a man, with long blue hair framing his admittedly handsome face and a strange red marking on his forehead. His eyes, of course, were closed, as he appeared to be sleeping. Around his waist was a belt lined with pouches, each appearing to full. Hanging from his right hip, the man had some strange, curved weapon that appeared to have properties of both wood and metal… a boomerang, if she recalled anything about commoner weaponry. The other weapon, on the left hip, was more recognizable and obvious: a simple longsword.

"Is… is this a… human?" Louise asked herself out loud with clear dread in her voice. No… no… NO! She knew she was considered a failure, but to summon a human? It wasn't fair! This was supposed to be the day she proved herself a capable mage by bringing forth something glorious, not some mere commoner with a sword and boomerang! It… it had to be a commoner… or barbarian… just look at his raggedy clothes… Besides, her classmates were making jeers and observations of the same thing.

"That outfit... he's a commoner no matter how you look at him," one male student declared in disbelief.

"Y-yeah," another male agreed, though he was clearly hesitant in doing so, staring at that long blue hair. "He is a commoner, without mistake."

Louise could only stare, mortified. "_Th-this_ is my… sacred… beautiful… strong familiar?" she asked herself.

The blue-haired man suddenly stirred, his eyes opening to reveal striking green irises as he sat up.

"… Deis…" He rubbed his eyes, clearly too groggy to think straight. "Please… stop using that explosion spell at close range…"

Who was Deis, and what did he mean 'explosion _spell_'? Those explosions she caused weren't spells, they were screw ups! Still, if there was such a spell, did that mean he knew some noble, addressing this "Deis" with such familiarity?

Those green eyes looked up to Louise. "… You're not Deis…" The man then stood up, towering over the shorter girl as he looked around. "A castle…" he muttered. "Just where am I? This certainly isn't Tunlan or Windia…"

Louise had never even heard of these places, and as such, blinked in disbelief.

Then, she heard that witch's giggling. "This makes everything you said worth it!" Kirche stated as she stepped closer. She shrugged. "I never would have guessed you would summon a commoner, of all things!" She burst out laughing, with a few students chuckling with her.

Upset, the pink-haired girl scowled at the buxom dark-skinned redhead. "It was just a little screw up!"

"That's the Zero Louise we know!" another student declared in a mocking tone. "You never fail to meet our expectations!"

More laughter followed.

"Miss Valliere…" the instructor, Mr. Colbert, began as he gave the long-haired man a curious stare. "Perhaps you should complete the ritual…"

"But… but…" Louise turned to the experienced fire mage, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Mr. Colbert, this commoner can't possibly be my familiar! No one has even heard of such a ridiculous thing! Please, let me try the summoning again!"

"I cannot let you do that, Miss Valliere," the instructor answered as he shook his head. The Spring Time Summoning Ritual is a sacred rite that determines a mage's life. Redoing it would be desecration. Regardless of whether you like it or not, he has been decided as your familiar. Now," Colbert pushed up his spectacles. "Please, complete the ritual." His tone left no room for arguing. In truth, the fire specialist was curious about the blue-haired man as well. He could tell there was some inner fire with the man… No, perhaps there was something… more.

The entire time, the blue-haired man had watched and listened. So… he was summoned into slavery, basically… Like Sara… his beloved sister, may she rest in peace.

Alas, he was so caught up in the past, he missed Louise's chant, and did nothing to protest the kiss that sealed his fate until it was too late. The runes began inscribing themselves onto the surface of the back of his left hand.

* * *

Louise observed the blue-haired man with silence, glad for his compliance in eating his loaf of bread and bowl of broth. Still… "I'm surprised you're not complaining," Louise confessed. What she had provided was not much of a meal at all, even by the standards of commoners.

After chewing and swallowing the stale chunk of bread, the blue-haired man spoke. "Well, it is not like complaining would get me anywhere… Besides, this is far from worst meal I've ever had. Try eating raw meat dressed with herbs. It fills up the stomach, but it tastes horrible compared to this."

Louise looked disgusted, scooting her chair away a couple of inches away from the man. "Of course… You truly are a barbarian, aren't you?"

"Well, it depends on how one looks at it. I have been living off the land for a long time," her familiar responded casually, before taking another bite. "But I did occasionally stop and enjoy myself at towns to get proper meals and rest."

After finally finishing his meal, the 'commoner' or 'barbarian' stood up, set his empty bowl and plate on the table. "I'm going outside to train."

"Fine," Louise allowed. "Familiars are supposed to be outside anyway, so go ahead and practice with that sword of yours. Just stay away from that Zerbst woman and her familiar."

"… Which ones are they?"

"That red-haired witch and her salamander," Louise snapped.

"Okay, okay, I'll avoid them!"

Just minutes later, the blue-haired man was now looking around the courtyard for space to train without hurting anyone, walking around the courtyard.

He saw a whole variety of creatures. A rabbit, cats, dogs, some floating eyeball, a large red lizard, remember to avoid that one, and… No way… a dragon?

Immediately, the man quickened his pace, heading toward the large blue winged reptile.

"Hey!" he called out, gaining the attention of both the dragon and the blue-haired girl who sat reading a book, sheltered under the dragon's wings.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he apologized, bowing. "But… I didn't think I'd see another dragon here."

The blue dragon blinked, tilting her –he somehow just knew it was a female—head to one side in confusion.

The blue-haired girl just raised an eyebrow. "_Another_ dragon…?"

The long-haired man nodded, crouching to the girl's level. "Yeah. Look, I know how odd it must seem, but I'm a dragon, too. I just come from a clan that sealed its power away long before I was born, so I was born looking human."

"… Proof," Tabitha demanded in that ever-present, melancholic tone.

The man blinked. "Proof… Ah, well… I have a surefire way to prove it… but I don't think I should use it," he responded. "I usually do it just for combat, so I don't waste energy…"

"Low profile," the blue-haired girl observed… just as the blue dragon stepped forward to sniff the long-haired man.

He blinked as her nose was buried into his hair, and then he chuckled. "That tickles."

Tabitha just watched her familiar. "Not food."

A squeak-like growl of acknowledgement, as if to say "I know" was the response. Then, the dragon lifted her nose away from the man's hair, making a 'kweh' sound toward Tabitha.

"… Sylphid believes you," the blue-haired girl responded as she closed her book and stood up. "Demonstration." She began walking, followed by her flying familiar and the strange blue-haired man.

For reasons unknown, just minutes later, the sky over the Tristain Academy darkened for a total of 10 minutes.

Tabitha returned some time after the sky had lightened back up to normal, a slight smile present. When Kirche inquired to her whereabouts, she answered with one cheery word.

"Secret."

* * *

Finally, it was this day… Louise could not believe she had forgotten the Exhibition of Familiars until earlier in the week. As she watched everyone else compete, she fidgeted. Her familiar had told her not to worry, but… She could not help it. He was a swordsman, not a salamander or a dragon…

"Next up," Mr. Colbert announced, "Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière."

The pink-haired girl gulped as she led her familiar onto the stage. After looking at the crowd, spoke with hesitance. "Let me introduce, my familiar, Ryuu Drogenson," she began with a gulp. "His class is…" she down to the ground in shame.

"Keep it up, Zero Louise!" one of the more portly students called out, earning laughter from their classmates.

Then, the long-haired man drew his sword, pointing it toward the heavens, closing his eyes. "Dragon," he told Louise, earning a skeptical look from her. "Stand back." As she did so, he began an unnecessary chant, to put on a show. "My ancestors… grant me strength, and let the dragon's blood flowing through my veins be unleashed in the form that makes the very heavens crash and roar!"

His green eyes, now glowing with otherworldly power, snapped open, and from the heavens, a single bolt of lightning, bright white in hue, descended to strike the very tip of Ryuu's blade.

A brilliant bright light enveloped the castle, and when it cleared, everyone's jaws hung open in shock.

In place of the long-haired man… was a towering bipedal dragon, easily twice, perhaps thrice, the size of Tabitha's own familiar. Aside from a cream-colored underbelly, its body was covered in scales the hue of brilliant sapphires, matching the man's hair. Its claws and long horns, in turn, were blood red, shining in the sunlight like rubies. But those emerald orbs remained the same. Those were the eyes of Louise's own familiar, the named "Ryuu Drogenson".

Such thoughts eventually caught up to Louise. She had… summoned a dragon… in human form?

The stage collapsed under Ryuu's new weight, and quickly, the dragon reached down to catch Louise. He… seemed to be smiling. He brought his hand to the top of his head, and she caught on, climbing off to brace herself between his prominent ruby horns. She looked down at the gathered crowd, seeing everyone, even Princess Henrietta, with their mouths hung upon in shock. Even the Zerbst witch's friend, Tabitha, was beaming up at the dragon's maw. Then, she felt Ryuu kick off into the air for flight, roaring in triumph as he did so. With that roar, the sky darkened as if from a storm…

… And bolts of lightning descended from the heavens to strike the land surrounding the academy. Then, accented by the flashes, the dragon flew, carrying Louise through the air for a flight of fun and merriment. Loop-de-loops, dives, heading through the dark clouds... as the wind whipped through Louise's pink hair, she had never, ever felt more excited in her life.

* * *

_**Next Ritual:**_ That's Comedy

* * *

It was short… but it is done.

Ryuu, any Ryuu, from the Breath of Fire franchise… well, there wasn't much I felt I could, personally, do, mainly due to him, like Link of the Zelda franchise, being a silent protagonist, and a powerful one at that.

In this case, I used the original Ryuu, hailing from the Light Dragon Clan, one of the two warring tribes of dragons in the first game.

A dragon born in human shape, he unlocks his power through many tests of strength and will. From the Drakes, about Sylphid's size or a tad smaller, to the Dragons, the bigger ones, to Rudra, the size of a small mountain or large hill, big enough for his head to cover a cave, Ryuu is a dragon of potential, and his status as a Gandalfr, wielding anything meant to be a true weapon to its fullest potential, fits that well. Even more, he has multiple forms for different elements. Snow Drake to Ice Dragon, Fire Drake to Flame Dragon, and Thunder Drake to Bolt Dragon, along with a Gold Dragon for holy power against the undead.

If this was used as a story, I would have to say that Ryu should be given some restraint from his full power. The most power transformation, Agni, would be good to omit, for two reasons. 1. Agni is powerful enough to fight toe to toe with and overwhelm a Goddess of Destruction. 2. Agni requires friendship, with all of Ryuu's allies fusing into one power entity. Thankfully, I can see Ryuu being casual, but I can't see him showing off.

I can see him and Sylphid forming a quick sibling bond, of sorts, though, bothing being dragons with human shapes... though Ryuu's cloths shift as well, while for Sylphid... yeah... I don't see any romance forming, in turn, unless it is one sided.

As before, please read, review, and critique.


	4. That's Comedy

The Beasts of Zero

_**Disclaimer:**_ Neither Zero no Tsukaima nor the franchises used for these one-shots belong to me, VulpineSnow.

* * *

**That's Comedy**

* * *

"_I beg of you…_ _My slave who lives somewhere in the universe_," the pink-haired second year student called out as she raised her wand to the heavens. This drew looks of bewilderment from her classmates, all of whom were already spread far apart from her in case of an explosion… again.

"What's that chant?" Montmorency, the blonde girl whom held a small orange frog in her hands, asked herself out loud.

Her blonde boyfriend, Guiche the Bronze, approached Montomercy's left side, brandishing his rose with an arrogant, whimsical smile. "Well, it is unique."

"_Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!_"

Even the silent and uninterested blue-haired girl, Tabitha, looked up from her book to watch the results.

"_I desire and here I plead from my heart!"_

Somewhere across the universe's great expanse, something stirred and awakened from a black abyss.

"_Answer to my guidance!_" Louise finished her chant, waved her wand, and pointed it down to the ground.

_**BOOM!**_

An earth-shattering explosion shook the courtyard, covering the entire grassy area and the second year student body with a thick cloud of putrid black smoke.

Coughing was all around Louise.

"I knew this was going to happen!" one student cried out.

Guiche approached his girlfriend, whom still kept a safe grasp on her own familiar. "Montmorency, are you alright?" He then noticed she was staring off at something, her eyes wide. "What is wrong?"

The water mage simply lifted her hand and pointed.

"Huh?" Guiche looked… and then stared as well.

It was a… squirrel… a big, gray squirrel, standing at equal height to Mr. Colbert's shoulders and wearing a strange round green hat. What was so strange, however, was that it looked… flat… like it belonged on a sheet of paper, yet everyone could tell that the creature was three dimensional.

The large rodent removed a round green hat from its head, dusting it off as it looked around.

Then… it spoke.

"Okay, where the heck am I?" she asked. "I'm missing an episode of Ricky Lake, and I don't like to be kept waiting."

Truly unusual, but… well, other students had summoned cats and dogs, and the headmaster himself had a small white mouse as his familiar.

_It could be worse_, Louise told herself in her head.

"Hah!" that busty witch, Kirche, let out a haughty laugh. "This is you 'sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit'? An overgrown rodent?"

The gray squirrel then reached into the purse it had over her shoulder, glaring at Kirche like she had understood those words. The next thing everyone knew, a little black ball had been thrown at the redhead, then...

**_KA-BOOM!_**

At seeing the explosion, Louise's mood dampened immensely. _Figures... that I would have a familiar that blows things up..._

Still, it was almost worth it to see Kirche covered in soot and with her hair blown back as if she had lost a battle with a wind mage.

* * *

"Get it yourself."

Both Louise and Henrietta looked to the squirrel in shock. Then, Louise, looking outraged, responded in kind. "You do not decide, familiar! I'm your master, and I say we ARE go-"

BAM!

Louise was quickly brought to floor, clutching her head in pain while the squirrel pat a wooden mallet that easily large enough to act like a crude war hammer. Then, those old, cranky eyes turned to focus on the princess. "I said 'get it yourself," she repeated. "I am not some errand girl for you, branded," she pointed to her own forehead, the fur concealing the runes beneath, "or not. It's your mess. You clean it up."

* * *

"This is your familiar, Little Louise?" the blonde woman asked the pink-haired girl as she pushed up her glasses. "An overgrown squirrel? I'm surprised it's not-OW!"

The gray squirrel shouldered her signature magenta purse, which she had just used to deliver a painful smack upside the head of one Elèonore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Vallière. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not polite to point?"

The woman scowled as she rubbed her cheek. "Why you overgrown rode-" SMACK! "OW!"

"And it isn't polite to call people names either, four-eyes."

"Now see here-" SMACK!

"I could do this all day."

At that, Louise gulped. "U-um… big sister Eleanore…" Over the time since she had summoned this squirrel, her familiar's temper had become legendary. "Perhaps you should… leave my familiar… alone…?" she asked hesitantly.

At the pink-haired girl's request, the blonde gave her younger sister a glare. "Were you telling me what to do…? Little… Louise…?" she demanded venomously, already forming her signature "Evil Expression".

BAM!

… And… the blonde woman crumpled to the ground, clutching her head in pain.

"I wasn't done talking to you!" the squirrel announced as she twirled her purse like a medieval flail. Still, even with the scalding tone, she was flashing that cheerfully mischievous smile that Louise had come to recognize…

That smile promised pain for the eldest of the Valliere sisters… and likely, the entire family as well.

* * *

_**Next Ritual:**_ Fly Me to the Moon

* * *

Slappy Squirrel is, hands down, my favorite character in Animaniacs. Cynical, violent, and with her own hint of humor, this cranky squirrel is NOT one to push around. Louise… will quickly learn this… painfully.

That's actually the reason this one is so short. Slappy is independent, and I seriously doubt even the… darn, forgot what it was called… that part of the contract in which the familiar is compelled to serve without question… would affect her that much. Slappy herself is 'low-tier', but she's so wacky that she'll likely turn the world on its head and blow it to pieces within days.

Slappy, in this, is gifted with the runes of the Myozthirirn, the "Mind of God", able to use any magical artifact and create almost any magical feat. Appropriate, considering her nature as a Toon. One could say its… loony.

Anyway, the next one will be cheating a bit, but oh well.


	5. Fly Me to the Moon

The Beasts of Zero

_**Disclaimer:**_ Neither Zero no Tsukaima nor the franchises used for these one-shots belong to me, VulpineSnow.

**Fly Me to the Moon**

* * *

"_I beg of you…_ _My slave who lives somewhere in the universe_," the pink-haired second year student called out as she raised her wand to the heavens. This drew looks of bewilderment from her classmates, all of whom were already spread far apart from her in case of an explosion… again.

"What's that chant?" Montmorency, the blonde girl whom held a small orange frog in her hands, asked herself out loud.

Her blonde boyfriend, Guiche the Bronze, approached Montomercy's left side, brandishing his rose with an arrogant, whimsical smile. "Well, it is unique."

"_Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!_"

Even the silent and uninterested blue-haired girl, Tabitha, looked up from her book to watch the results.

"_I desire and here I plead from my heart!"_

Somewhere across the universe's great expanse, something stirred and awakened from a black abyss.

"_Answer to my guidance!_" Louise finished her chant, waved her wand, and pointed it down to the ground.

* * *

One thousand years… she had spent one thousand trapped, unable to do anything. There had only been blackness to keep her company, nothing to see, to smell, to hear, or to taste, or to touch. Okay, she could "feel", but only in the sense of one feeling herself surround by nothing but a hard surface pressing against every inch of skin. Even movement was lost to her.

It was miserable.

How… how could her own sister do this to her? She just wanted to share the beautiful night! Was that too much to ask?

It wasn't fair… Everyone had enjoyed her sister's sunlight, the days in which they frolic and played, but for her, they slept the night away, never observing the constellations she had paint across the darkness, not even simply pausing or staying up late to gaze at it.

She had wanted what her sister had, and she had been denied and sealed away, likely only a myth to all those whom dwelled on the planet's surface.

"_I beg of you… My slave who lives somewhere in the universe…"_

Wait, what was that voice? Where did it come from? She was no one's slave!

"_Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!"_

Okay, she would admit to those… aside from that 'familiar spirit' part. … Wait, was she being summoned? Then… then that meant she was going to be free, if this spell worked!

"_I desire and plead from my heart!"_

The entity closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to open the link. She refused to be a slave… but she also refused to be trapped within the moon for a single moment longer.

"_Answer to my guidance!"_

* * *

_**BOOM!**_

An earth-shattering explosion shook the courtyard, covering the entire grassy area and the second year student body with a thick cloud of putrid black smoke.

Coughing was all around Louise.

"I knew this was going to happen!" one student cried out.

Guiche approached his girlfriend, whom still kept a safe grasp on her own familiar. "Montmorency, are you alright?" He then noticed she was staring off at something, her eyes wide. "What is wrong?"

The water mage simply lifted her hand and pointed.

Standing in front of Louise… was a _very_ regal-looking animal. It was a pegasus with a horn, or perhaps it was better to call it a winged unicorn. Gazing upon this creature was like looking at one of Princess Henrietta's royal stallions. No… even that was far too much of an understatement, an insult, dare they think it, to compare this lovely creature with those relatively plain horses.

The stunning mare's—something about its majesty just screamed 'female'—fur was black, darker than any of the cloaks the students wore, shining like obsidian and looking like it would blend with only the starless night sky. The winged unicorn's mane and tail swirled around, as if caught in some breeze, even when the wind wasn't blowing. If the mare's fur reflected a starless night sky, then her mane and tail reflected the beautiful stars themselves, a dark luster glittering across each indigo strand of hair.

Upon noticing some other particular details, Kirche forced out a laugh. "Hah! Okay, Zero, who did you hire to loan their familiar to you?"

Indeed, the winged unicorn did appear dressed up and branded. Upon her violet flank, complimenting her dark fur was a vivid white crescent moon. Upon her head, front, and hooves, she wore elegant silver armor, clearly signifying that she must have belonged to a truly wealthy noble.

What other reason could there be?

Louise only stared at the black mare, inwardly miserable. She loathed admitting it, but Zerbst had some point. This… this had to be someone else's familiar or pet. Sure, the pink-haired girl had summoned something, but it did not seem to be hers…

"What did _thou_ say?" an unfamiliar woman's voice spoke out venomously. The voice's origin… was the winged unicorn. Everyone watched as the mare turned her gaze to Kirche, forcing the buxom redhead to stare into her eyes.

The mare's terrifying turquoise serpentine eyes seemed to stare straight into Kirche's soul, freezing her in place.

As they had this 'stare-off', the sky almost immediately began to grow dark, the white clouds becoming foreboding gray, and then darkening further into raging black.

"_We_ are no one's property," the unicorn hissed as that mane and tail rose up, swirling in the gathering winds.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared.

In that single flash of white, the redhead was now on the ground, her clothes, her body, though alive, smoldering from the strike of lightning.

Needless to say, Kirche would be in the infirmary for a long, long time…

* * *

Guiche gulped, scooting on hands and knees and backing away from this… this… this terrifying creature. How… how could a unicorn be capable of such magic, taking down his golems without so much as batting an eyelash, with just a flash of light from her eyes and horn?

"Well, whelp?" the mare yelled in a mocking tone of authority. "I believe thou was intending to teach 'this beast' a lesson!"

He had expected it to be easy, had tried to convince himself that the lightning bolt Kirche had been struck with had been a freak accident, a fluke of the weather… but no, this winged unicorn, "Louise the Zero's" familiar, was dangerous, more dangerous than even the fiercest of dragons.

But weren't the runes supposed to restrain the power of certain familiars so that they couldn't rebel? If so… then this wasn't a mere beast as he had first thought.

This was a monster.

"Now," the winged unicorn spoke, "for trying to pin blame upon us and trying to fool around with two females of your species, we sentence you to forever be the toad you truly are!"

Guiche's eyes went wide as the unicorn's horn glowed pristine white… and the next thing he knew was pain. Pain, agony, whatever defined it best, overwhelmed the blonde youth as he saw everything get larger or taller around him. His clothes seemed too large, now, and soon, everything just felt… wrong.

_Ribbit!_

What… was that him? Did he just-?

_Rib-ribbit!_

No! It wasn't possible! Such magic had been lost from the time of the founder! How could she have transfigured him!

"Familiar, change him back!"

The yellow toad that was once Guiche hopped out of the pile of clothes upon hearing Louise's voice. Now, he may have mocked Louise, like so many classmates, but he wouldn't wish what had just happened to him upon anyone! He tried yelling, tried telling Louise to get away from that monstrous creature, but all that came out of his mouth was a series of those well-known sounds a toad or frog made.

He could tell… Louise was scared of her own familiar, and for once, he did not blame her.

He saw the mare glare at Louise with those unusual turquoise eyes. "I think not," she stated. "If I change him back, he won't learn his lesson at all." Somehow, he could see a smirk form on that muzzle. "Or would thou like to join him?"

Guiche the toad watched as Louise, while the thought counted, did the smart thing and backed away from the obsidian monster with a mere gulp.

* * *

Like so many nights before, the obsidian mare stared at the hoof of her right foreleg in aggravation, those cold reptilian eyes glaring at the runes that had marred her, carving into that hoof. She had been branded like cattle, and she utterly loathed it. She knew there was some spell on her mind, imbued by these runes. Otherwise, she would have given all these apes around her the same treatment as she had given that girl that had dared label her as property.

"In here," someone, the stable boy, spoke, drawing the dark mare to look up as the doors of the stables opened. Oh, _great_, it was that pink-haired ape that had summoned her, and it looked like she had brought company.

"What dost thou want, now, ape?" she hissed. She was glad to see how nervous the pink-haired child still was, and not-so-inwardly enraged at how dismissive two of these "guests", appearing to be of relation to the girl, were.

The blonde woman stepped toward the chained mare, raising a skeptical eyebrow behind her glasses. Why was the unicorn with the starry mane chained? Well… the "apes" had not taken her defiance very well, but thought it to be on bad taste to kill a familiar. "You expect us to believe _this_ is your familiar, Little Louise?"

"B-but… but she _is_ my familiar, big sister…" the pink-haired brat whimpered. "I summoned her and everything."

Unknown to the mare, Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Vallière would have normally berated her sister for contradicting her. However, to keep in conduct, the blonde instead reached for the ebony unicorn… and gripped the horn.

The mare blinked and then slightly narrowed her serpentine eyes.

"This must be a farce," the blonde stated, before trying to tug the horn off. Of course, even with the resistance, the woman was still stubborn, still trying to remove the mare's horn. "There… is no way… you could… summon…" The mare had to keep her neck stiff to avoid being dragged. "… An actual… unicorn… Those wings are… probably fake… too…" The blonde was now taking exasperated breathes, glaring at the ebony horse. "I mean, come on, Little Louise, who did you squander your allowance on for that lousy effect with the hair?"

Those reptilian eyes hardened. "Lousy?" she questioned, making two sets of eyes widen, before quite plainly standing up and glaring at Eleanore, the _broken_ chains clattering to the ground. "Ye dare insult us, ape?" she demanded as she stomped forward, getting in Eleanore's face.

In tandem with her roar of fury, the skies outside the stable darkened. It was not from black clouds this time, though. It was as if nightfall had come much, much more early than it should have.

The taller woman near Eleanore, her hair the same shade of pink as the brat's hair, drew out her wand, only to see the mare's mane lash out like a cracking whip and knock the wand from her grip.

The mare kept her focus upon the now-trembling blonde. "Thou dare to insult us, all for the sake of looking superior in front of a whelp of a child!" Her reptilian eyes became filled with a malevolent white glow. "Our patience with this world had been worn thin! Thou believe your magic allows you to be superior over those without it." She grinned wickedly, baring her teeth, which, quite frankly, was quite terrifying even on a normal horse. "If that's the case, then _we_ are a _god_!"

Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The mare of the moon focused her power, and with an audible crack… the runes upon her hoof were broken.

It was as if a gate holding her power back had been unlocked, flooding the the stables, the castle, nay, the entire country.

"We shall bring eternal night to this world, and our rule shall be everlasting!" The smile faded into a scowl. "But first… thou shall suffer for your insults!"

Lightning struck the stables, passed through the wood, and hit every present member of the pink-haired brat's family… aside from the pink-haired brat herself.

Their screams of agony were music to the mare's ears.

* * *

Louise looked around with caution as she walked through town, the only source of light from the lanterns in the street. She had a drab cloak on, with the hood up over her head.

So many years had passed since… since her familiar had rebelled and cast her spell upon the sky. So many years had passed since she had witnessed her eldest sister and mother transformed into mere cattle.

Not even the magic of the Void, the legendary fifth element, could stop the new queen. From the other three countries that surrounded Tristain, three void mages had revealed themselves to take down the obsidian unicorn… and all three had been executed along with their familiars.

Everything had gone wrong from the first moment the creature that called herself "Nightmare Moon" had stood in the Academy's courtyard. Louise was the scapegoat for all the suffering this world now endured, as she had been the one to summon the tyrannical winged unicorn.

Crops around the country had to constantly be enchanted so that they grew in the enternal nigh, essentially forcing nobles to lower themselves to assist commoners so that everyone had something to eat. Those whom tried to reason with the queen, whom tried to coax her into raising the sun once again, often found themselves locked in the dungeons, if they were lucky.

The world had become a dark Hell bathed in a deceptively beautiful night…

… and it was all Louise's fault.

* * *

_**Next Ritual:**_ Scum of the Earth

* * *

Oh, I so, so, _so_, _**so**_ regret typing this. Really, really, I do. Of all the things, My _Little Pony: Friendship in Magic_'s first villain, Nightmare Moon, is being summoned?

I am hanging my head in absolute shame, folks. I kid you not. For those whom say I should not feel shame, too bad, I do. For those whom say I should be ashamed, it is something we agree with each other about.

Still… it was either this, or Cynder from _The Legend of Spyro_. They are, give or take a few quirks, are pretty darn similar. However, due to so many people likely having no clue about the _Spyro the Dragon_ games anymore, I went with this, something more familiar, according to the amount of stories.

…

…

…

Anyway…

Why I chose Nightmare Moon… For starters, the original one I was going to go with was Bayonetta. A witch in service to a mage would have been nice… but after some thought, I realized that it did not fit with the theme of these one-shots at all. She was… carnal… but still, in the end, a human being of a sort, not a "Beast" in any way I could think of. That aside, from the very beginning, she's FAR too powerful and unrestrainable… Was that last word even a word? She summoned something that should have killed her, and LIVED, coming back and hitting harder than ever!

I wanted to deconstruct—or try to—the idea of Louise summoning a super-strong familiar, but not to a point of her being instantly… taken down a peg.

I then drilled through some more ideas in my head, some monster from the _Yu-Gi-Oh _series, Cynder from the darker _Spyro_ games, Klonoa from… _Klonoa_, and so forth, but finally, considering I didn't want to change the title, settled for Nightmare Moon/Princess Luna.

How far a story with her as a familiar can go would depend on the writer and his/her interpretation of Nightmare Moon's conduct. Would she conquer the world in literally one night, or endure being a lowly servant until such a time she can head home and take her own revenge upon her sister, and get some development along the way, maybe with help from Cattleya? Only time would tell. For all I know, she could end up reforming in her own way, without the "magic of friendship", or as well call it mockingly over the net, "HEART!"

I just decided for her to have enough of being a lowly servant. She didn't snap, she just got fed up. Her motives are not benevolent, but simply stemming from how annoyed she is with this world, and giving up hope of going back home take down her sister. Only problems are A) that I think I flooded it with too much detail, and B) I rushed a bit, which can be seen.

To think I got this just in time for Halloween, eh?

To those whom write fan fiction of "My Little Pony", this is a ONE TIME thing! ONE TIME!

Now, feel free to guess the next one to be summoned. Come on, I DARE YOU ALL! Here's a hint… think 'older arcade games'.


	6. Scum of the Earth

The Beasts of Zero

_**Disclaimer:**_ Neither Zero no Tsukaima nor the franchises used for these one-shots belong to me, VulpineSnow.

* * *

**Scum of the Earth**

* * *

"_I beg of you…_ _My slave who lives somewhere in the universe_," the pink-haired second year student called out as she raised her wand to the heavens. This drew looks of bewilderment from her classmates, all of whom were already spread far apart from her in case of an explosion… again.

"What's that chant?" Montmorency, the blonde girl whom held a small orange frog in her hands, asked herself out loud.

Her blonde boyfriend, Guiche the Bronze, approached Montomercy's left side, brandishing his rose with an arrogant, whimsical smile. "Well, it is unique."

"_Oh sacred, beautiful, and strong familiar spirit!_"

Even the silent and uninterested blue-haired girl, Tabitha, looked up from her book to watch the results. From these words, it was sure to be interesting.

"_I desire and here I plead from my heart!"_

The students inched just a little closer in anticipation of the failure.

"_Answer to my guidance!_" Louise finished her chant, waved her wand, and pointed it down to the ground.

_**BOOM!**_

An earth-shattering explosion shook the courtyard, covering the entire grassy area and the second year student body with a thick cloud of putrid black smoke.

Coughing was all around Louise.

"I knew this was going to happen!" one student cried out.

Guiche approached his girlfriend, whom still kept a safe grasp on her own familiar. "Montmorency, are you alright?" He then noticed she was staring off at something, her eyes wide. "What is wrong?"

The water mage simply lifted her hand and pointed.

"Huh?" Guiche looked… and then stared as well… before he and the rest of the male student body flew back with geysers of blood flowing from their nostrils.

A shapely young woman, clad in nothing but a white coat, was lying on her side, unconscious, in the cool grass. From Louise's vantage point, long, dirty-blonde hair barely obscured a beautiful face.

"… Th-this… is my… sacred… beautiful… strong… familiar spirit?" Louise muttered to herself in embarrassment. It wasn't that this was a hideous familiar. Again, for humans, she was quite a beautiful sight. But… Louise had summoned a human! She had wanted something glorious, like a dragon, or griffin, even a manticore, like her mother had summoned! But instead, she got a human, one whom was likely a commoner!

The jeers and jests followed her muttering, and quickly, Louise requested to summon again… only to be denied by Professor Colbert, whom responded to her that the summoning ritual was sacred and repeating it would be sacrilege. Then, he had instructed her to complete the ritual.

The girl never felt so low… Well, until she came to the part where she had to kiss her familiar on the lips to complete the ritual, with the runes forming upon the blonde's right hand.

* * *

Louise never felt so exhilarated and terrified at the same moment.

From what the pink-haired girl had gathered, her familiar had made the error to expose Guiche's two-timing ways, which, to be completely frank, were obvious to everyone aside from Montmorency and that first-year girl, Katie.

After hearing of the so-called duel, Louise had tried to convince her familiar against it, but the blonde woman had been silently resolute. She had never spoken a word, instead simply walking toward the chosen place.

She had expected her familiar, whom had only given the name "Elizabeth" on the previous night, to be beaten down like a commoner, or worse, a dog.

Yet, after the first two strikes from Guiche's valkyries… the woman had started to change.

On the third strike, as her skin began to bubble and take on a viridian hue, Elizabeth grabbed the offending limb of one of Guiche's bronze valkyries and tore it clean off, shards of metal flying in a blood-like spray. The blonde woman was now snarling like a savage beast released from a cage. Her blue eyes began to give way to those of a great dragon. Round pupils became slits as blue was consumed by infernal red. In tandem with her changing orbs, her teeth took on a more sinister look, like dozens of thin blades.

Then, as her body ballooned with hulking muscles, Louise's familiar began to grow. That green skin began to form a new texture, scales, as her extremities morphed, snapped, and reshaped, with fingers and toes becoming curved and deadly claws. The white coat tore apart at the seams as Elizabeth grew taller and wider, her body reshaping to obscure and otherwise conceal all features that would indicate gender. Finally, her spine elongated to form a long, whip-like tail.

By the end of it all, a great reptile taller than the outer walls of the Academy now stood where Louise's familiar had once been.

It roared, and then it promptly stomped on the golems, mere bugs compared to it, not even worthy of a light snack. The creature looked down upon the trembling masses and bared its sharp,blade-like teeth them. Normally, people would scatter, but these children had all practically frozen in place at the sight of the woman-turned-monster.

One could not blame them, for Elizabeth had become bigger than even the largest dragons in Tristain or the surrounding countries.

Louise could only stare up at that face, that vicious snarl, trembling like a leaf just as Guiche was. How… how had this happened? She had summoned a human, not a monster, right…? Right?

Louise was shaken from her fear-induced paralysis by Guiche's scream. Quickly, she looked toward Guiche… to see him being picked up by her massive familiar, the clawed hand so large that the only things not wrapped by those fingers were the blonde youth's head and feet.

Already, pink-haired girl was working out the logical conclusion in her head, and before she could stop herself…

"DON'T DO IT!"

As Elizabeth had lifted Guiche to her mouth, the large lizard stopped at the yell, with Guiche mere feet away from her teeth, with her right hand, the one holding Guiche, starting to glow from the runes' light.

"Familiar…" Louise hesitated, relieved that her words had broken through, but still quite terrified, "please… please, put Guiche down…"

The massive reptile turned to regard the pink-haired girl with those baleful eyes, as if to ask "Why should I?" as she and Louise locked gazes.

"Please…" she begged again with a gulped. "Please, don't eat him… just put him down… You won the duel…"

The large lizard looked back and forth between Guiche and Louise… and then she looked up sharply, behind Louise.

Confused, the pink-haired student turned around as well. The instructors, the Headmaster among them, were approaching the crowd, wands and staffs out and serious expressions upon their faces.

Unseen by Louise at this point, but definitely heard, Elizabeth let out a guttural growl as she narrowed her eyes at the slightly-larger morsels.

Hearing the growl, Louise quickly turned back toward the titanic monster. "Elizabeth, put him down, now!" she commanded.

The runes on her right hand shined brighter, and the creature grimaced. Slowly, the green lizard began to lower Guiche back to the ground, relaxing her grip.

Louise was glad no one would die, but… what of the instructors? What explanation could she give to satisfy them?

"Look out, Louise!" she heard the voice of a certain redhead she loathed cry out in… concern? Why?

The young girl soon found out as she felt and saw scaly green fingers wrap around her body, lifting her up off the ground.

Elizabeth leaped over the wall of the Academy, taking her "master" with her.

* * *

"What do you mean my daughter was kidnapped?"

Old Osmond gulped in fear as he faced the famed former Commander of the Manticore Corps. Of all the people he did not want to deal with when angry, the Duchess de la Valliere. "It's a… funny story…" he tried to ease the situation.

Why did Colbert just have to insist on getting the parents involved? Worse yet, it had taken two weeks after the incident for the Duchess to arrive, giving time for worry and anger to fester.

"Define," Karin the Heavy Wind hissed out, uncharacteristically furious, "funny."

"The, um," he tugged his collar, "the kidnapper isn't just some random mage or commoner, you see… It's actually… her familiar."

Karin's left eyebrow twitched. "… What?" she growled.

"You see, we had thought Louise had summoned a commoner as a familiar, but that turned out not to be the case…" Osmond hesitated. "From what we gathered from the students, the commoner transformed into a monster and came close to eating the Gramont boy, but Louise managed to stop it as we arrived on the scene."

"So your arrival provoked this… beast… into taking off with my daughter?" she muttered lowly.

The headmaster gulped again. This was not going to be easy to pass off as something to not be concerned about. "We do believe she's safe, though. The familiar listened to her in not eating young Gramont. Surely it would—"

"Whether or not it listens to Louise is not the issue, Osmond," Karin spoke up as she drew her wand. "You and the staff risked the lives of many students, of my daughter. That cannot go unpunished."

"No, wait, please!" he began, having no time to defend himself before the Duchess cast her spell.

Osmond would survive, of course, but he was still blown straight out of his window by a quick and powerful application of Wind Magic.

* * *

**Next Ritual**: "Cops and Robbers" or "The Meaning of Courage"

* * *

I skipped some dialogue because it has become quite repetitive. If you wish for dialogue to be included in my next one, please say so. Sadly, I'm noticing a huge decline in my writing… This is roughly two-thirds story, one-third note.

When I spoke of an old arcade game as the hint, I meant it. Here we are, with Lizzie of Rampage. I knew this was an obscure game, but… wow.

Rampage, the arcade game of 1986, founded by Bally Midway, basically had a cut-and-dry plot. Three average people (George, a normal middle-aged man, Lizzie, a young woman, and Ralph, an elderly man) all got mixed up in the experiments of a company called "Scum Labs" by a mere twist of fate, turning into a titanic Ape, Lizard, and Wolf, respectively.

George tested out some pills, Lizzie discovered water near a factory to be polluted and radioactive, and Ralph… I can't remember, he ate some food additive and got sick, or something. Either way, the end results are the same: heavy mutation, violation of the square-cube law, and giant monsters –controlled by the players—walking around and causing such destruction that King Kong and Godzilla would be proud of. Players must have these three monsters eat people, take out the military before they take them out, and so forth. Whenever the player lose a life, your chosen character shrinks down back to normal size and normal looks, nude, and starts to slink away in embarrassment as he or she covers itself… at least, until you press the button to make them become their monstrous forms all over again and cause more destruction.

This one was short due to a couple of things I did not consider when I started this.

_**Issue One**_: Personality. Besides being a big scary monster, these characters are not given much personality at all, unless you count George in that reboot's introduction cutscene with him drinking "Scum Soda". As far as we, the players and readers, could know, they could be anything from poor souls trapped in their own bodies to jerks in complete control of their actions and on massive power trips!

_**Issue Two**_: Transformation. At best, their transformation into monsters is triggered by rage, much like David Bruce Banner becoming The Hulk, and they don't want to get angry. At worst, it's either spontaneous or at will, considering, according to my faulty memory, the N64 game "Rampage: World Tour" starts each level out with them transforming. These characters are violent, and it is only by the graces of the runes on Lizzie's hand that no one in the academy is eaten alive.

_**Issue Three**_: Rating. I wanted to keep this a "T" rating, and to do that, I can't show and detail Lizzie eating people or crushing them to a bloody pulp. Let's face it, in many key scenes, that would have happened.

Now, why did I choose the runes of Windalfr? Quite frankly… this was a "by default" choice, because nothing else seemed to fit such a massive beast that Lizzie could become. Perhaps the magic can work in reverse, allowing Louise to understand anything Lizzie might say in her monster form, or for Lizzie to communicate and retain her will instead of being in monster mindset constantly.

With liberties and interpretation, this does have some minor potential… In truth, any writer could treat Lizzie, George, or Ralph much like an OC, giving what THEY would think these people, these monsters, would be going through… I just decided not to. Someone did suggest to me that monsters like to group together, so Lizzie might even instinctively remake the formula just to have some company. I don't know. As for that last brief scene with Karin the Heavy Wind, Louise's mother… Oh, I hate her so, but when the chips are down, even such an overly strict parent like her would care for her daughter, if he or she is truly a good parent. She did come out as out of character, though, from what little I know.

So, yeah, I'm sorry that this chapter is half story, half author's note of explanation. As I said, I'm noticing a decline in my writing. Plus, it seems my choices for familiars either don't leave much for imagination and variety, or leave too much and I can't decide what to do. I consider this chapter to be the latter.


End file.
